A dental hygienist has raised almost £20,000 for Mouth Cancer Action by walking 500 miles across the UK. Christina Chatfield, owner of Dental Health Spa Brighton, finished her ‘500 Miles 4 Smiles’ walk on 19 June in Brighton, marking the end of an extraordinary month. The walk started at Christina’s first practice in Kirriemuir, Scotland. More than 300 people joined the walk on various legs of the route in support of Mouth Cancer Action.
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Read more: BDA challenges GDC to justify its inflammatory advertisement
Although sharing the concerns of those alarmed by the size of the increase, Dental Protection is warning dental professionals to tread carefully when making public their reaction and also to think before considering withholding their ARF as both actions would threaten their registration and ability to practise lawfully. Kevin Lewis, Dental Director for Dental Protection warned of the profession’s ‘growing loss of confidence in its regulator’.
Read more: Dental Protection signposts route for ARF protest
Results for the latest GP survey (Jan-Mar 2104), which includes dental questions, show positive findings for both NHS and private dentistry. 58% of respondents had visited an NHS dentist in the last two years. 84% of these rated their NHS dental experience as ‘positive’. Of those that tried to get an appointment in the last two years, 93% were successful. 21% did not try to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years because they preferred private dentistry.
Dentists posting on GDPUK have reacted furiously to and advertisement inserted by the General Dental Council (GDC) into the Daily Telegraph on July 5. It was directed at private patients and urged them to complain if they were ‘not completely happy’ with their treatment.
The latest NASDAL goodwill survey reaffirms the ongoing appeal of an NHS contract, with NHS practices and mixed practices still commanding higher prices. Alan Suggett, who is responsible for the survey, said that looming changes in NHS contracts seem to have had no impact on NHS goodwill values despite the spectre of possible time limitation of contracts under pressure from the OFT.
Read more: Private buyers outbidding large corporates in practice sales